Stanford University's Kathleen Stephens discussed the recent visit by ROK President Park Geun-hye to the United States and United Nations, issues in bilateral affairs, and cooperation on international challenges. Stephens, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Korea from 2008-2011, spoke to her time in Seoul and reflected on how to best read developments on the Korean Peninsula.
Ambassador Kathleen Stephens
New Strides in U.S.-Korea Relations
Part of The Analysts
In Conversation with Dr. Stephen Noerper, Senior Vice President
Kathleen Stephens
former U.S. Ambassador to Korea
$10 Members, $20 Guests, $5 Students
8:30 AM | Registration & Light Fare
9:00 AM | Discussion
YPN and Explorer Level Members Register HERE for free admission.
If you have any questions, please contact Nikita Desai or (212) 759-7525, ext. 355.
About the Speaker
Kathleen Stephens is former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, presently serves at Stanford University.
Ambassador Stephens' research interest focuses on Korea’s modern journey, with particular attention to South Korea’s political development, to the impact of cultural and social change on its politics, and to the role of the United States. In the winter quarter she will teach Issues in U.S.-Korea Relations, a Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) course.
Ambassador Stephens recently completed thirty-five years as a career diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service. She was Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in 2012, and U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, 2008 to 2011.
Ambassador Stephens has served in numerous posts in Washington, Asia, and Europe. From 2005 to 2007 she was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP). While Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR) from 2003 to 2005, she focused on post-conflict and stabilization issues in the Balkans. She was Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council during the Clinton Administration.
Ambassador Stephens’ overseas postings included service in China, Korea, Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, Portugal, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Ambassador Stephens received the 2009 Presidential Meritorious Service Award. Other awards and recognition include the Korean government’s Sejong Cultural Prize (2013), and in 2011 the Pacific Century Institute’s Building Bridges Award, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, and the Kwanghwa Medal of Diplomatic Merit from the Korean government. Her book, Reflections of an American Ambassador to Korea, based on her Korean-language blog, was published in 2010.
Ambassador Stephens graduated from Prescott College, and holds a master's degree from Harvard University, along with a honorary doctoral degrees from Chungnam National University and the University of Maryland. Ambassador Stephens studied at the University of Hong Kong. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Korea in the 1970s.